Inductive and Deductive: Ambiguous Labels in Qualitative Content Analysis

Authors

Mohammad Reza Armat, Nursing instructor, PhD candidate in Nursing, Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran
Abdolghader Assarroudi, PhD in Nursing, Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, IranFollow
Mostafa Rad, PhD, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran
Hassan Sharifi, PhD candidate, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Abbas Heydari, PhD, Evidence-Based Caring Research Center, Professor, Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

The propounded dualism in Content Analysis as quantitative and qualitative approaches is widely supported and justified in nursing literature. Nevertheless, another sort of dualism is proposed for Qualitative Content Analysis, suggesting the adoption of "inductive" and/or "deductive" approaches in the process of qualitative data analysis. These approaches have been referred and labelled as "inductive" or "conventional"; and "deductive" or "directed" content analysis in the literature. Authors argue that these labels could be fallacious, and may lead to ambiguity; as in effect, both approaches are employed with different dominancy during the process of any Qualitative Content Analysis. Thus, authors suggest more expressive, comprehensive, yet simple labels for this method of qualitative data analysis.

Keywords

Inductive, Deductive, Qualitative Research, Content Analysis

Author Bio(s)

Mohammad Reza Armat is a Nursing instructor and PhD candidate in Nursing in the Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran.

Abdolghader Assarroudi, PhD, is with the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: assarroudia@medsab.ac.ir.

Mostafa Rad PhD, is with the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran.

Hassan Sharifi, is a PhD candidate in Nursing with the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

Abbas Heydari, PhD, is a Professor with the Evidence-Based Caring Research Center, Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

Publication Date

1-26-2018

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2018.2872

Recommended APA Citation

Armat, M., Assarroudi, A., Rad, M., Sharifi, H., & Heydari, A. (2018). Inductive and Deductive: Ambiguous Labels in Qualitative Content Analysis. The Qualitative Report, 23(1), 219-221. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2018.2872